Northern Rockies: Days 1-2

Like most of our road-trips, planning started many months in advance. Z has been wanting to visit the Canadian Rockies for a while now and when a chance for another road-trip came up, that was the first choice. For many nights Z clicked through as many websites as possible to find information on destinations and views. Over time a plan crystallized and a date was set. Then an opportunity to work for the USGS came up which required a proposal be submitted only a week after we would get back from the trip. Therefore, we shortened and delayed the trip for three weeks while Z worked on the proposal. In the end, the road-trip would top 3,600 miles and include five national parks (4 in Canada), one national monument, and two provincial parks.With the proposal finished, we left our work worries behind at 6am (Pacific Standard Time) on September 18th for northwestern Montana with Penny in tow. We sped along the interstate across Nevada before turning north on US-93 toward Twin Falls, ID. We'd passed through Twin Falls six years ago while making our way west to start grad school. However, this time we didn't stop by Shoshone Falls or the bridge crossing over the Snake River Canyon. We still had ten hours of driving left, so we only stopped for gas and lunch before moving on.

We stayed on US-93 all the way into Montana. Just northeast of Twin Falls we came across the northern edge of Craters of the Moon National Monument where we met an Austrian father-son pair near the end of their month long trip that included Alaska and Yellowstone. We talked briefly before moving on. Craters of the Moon National Monument is a giant flood basalt area covering three major lava fields. The area reminded us of McKenzie Pass near Bend, OR. Further along US-93, while passing through the beautiful Lost River Mountains area, we drove through several spits of rainfall before moving into the Salmon River Canyon. Here, we were met with a gorgeous double rainbow display. US-93 then followed the Salmon River almost all the way into Montana. At Salmon, ID we stopped for dinner at the Junkyard Bistro. The food was good and we headed out for the last push as night crept on. At Lost Trail Pass we crossed into Montana and ran into rain near Hamilton. The rain stayed with us the rest of the drive. We passed through Missoula and headed north toward Flathead Lake. In the dark and rain we followed the western shore of the lake before heading into Kalispell. Just before midnight (Mountain Standard Time) we reached B's mother's and step-father's house outside of town. Our backs and butts were sore and the bed was calling our names, so we didn't talk long before heading to bed.

We slept proficiently in on Day 2 and relaxed the whole day. Fog covered the lake at the house in the morning before burning off to reveal a lone Red-necked Grebe cruising the surface and diving for up to a minute at a time. It was so quiet and peaceful that Z just sat on the dock with Penny for a little while, not noticing the chill while B read her book in the warmth of the house. We had a simple dinner and settled in for the night, ready to take on the Going-to-the-Sun Road the next day.